She Wondered
by Scrunchy
Summary: She wondered if he was really bad. She wondered if he had any friends. She wondered if he wanted any friends. She wondered if he liked chocolate. Prompt: Childhood


**Written for a HiruMamo contest on DeviantArt. **

**Prompt: childhood.**

**I blame Stephanie for everything ever.**

* * *

There was a boy she saw often at the park. She wondered who he was.

His hair was a normal shade of black, but it was spiked instead of buzzed or bowl cut like the other boys. She wondered if it hurt to touch them.

She never saw him playing with anyone, but he always had a ball with him. It was strangely shaped—like a pointed egg instead of round like a regular ball. She wanted to ask him about it, being a naturally curious girl, but her friends would never play near him. When she asked who he was, they whispered and pointed. Words like "trouble" and "scary" were used in their responses, but they never had anything specific that he had done. Rumors from other kids, she figured. She wondered if he was really bad.

Only seeing him from across the playground romanticized the young boy in her mind. She couldn't talk to him without her friends running away, and her mother always made a point to tell them to stick together when they left the house. No one ever talked to him; he was largely avoided. She wondered if he had any friends.

All that changed with the seasons was his manner of dress. No one ventured near him, or seemed to pay him any attention—perhaps they even actively avoided him. It was like he was a part of the playground's background. Not always there, but when he was, unheeded. She wondered if he wanted any friends.

January passed into February, and her mother started talking about making homemade chocolates for Valentine's day. When her mother asked her if there was a special boy that she wanted to make some for, she smiled and nodded. She wondered if he liked chocolate.

Her friends giggled when they saw her with two small, wrapped packages. They knew that the first one was for her friend a grade below; he was practically her little brother. The second one, though, they had no clue. When they started naming all the popular boys, she just shook her head and told them that it wasn't for any of their classmates. They giggled and finally begged her into submission. When she told them that it was for the boy at the park, they started coming up with excuses for the evening. They had to be home for homework, or an outing with their families. She wondered what he had done to deserve such a reputation.

She waited in the park with her coat wrapped warmly around her, and her wrapped package on her lap. She was sitting on the brick wall that he usually occupied, watching small puffs of breath rise in the air. The park was almost deserted, the colder weather of the day driving people off. She wondered if he was coming.

It was a little while before dark, and she was about to give up. She hopped off of the wall and turned around to get the chocolates when she saw him staring at her, leaning against a tree with his head tilted to the side. His curious expression turned into a grin, and he started walking towards her when she didn't move. She wondered how long he had been there.

"Everyone knows that this is my wall." He told her, leaning on it and jutting his head out to hover mere centimeters from her nose. His eyes were a grey-green that she hadn't been expecting. She wondered which of his parents were a _gaijin_.

"I just wanted to give you this." She replied, picking up the small wrapped box and holding it out to him. She wondered how many people got to see his dumbfounded expression.

"I don't like sweets." He said, suddenly, not making a move to take the candy. She wondered if he was rejecting the gift, or just making a statement.

"Oh, okay…" She had barely gotten the words out before his hand shot out and snatched the little bundle from her hands. She wondered if he had felt bad as she watched him pick open the knot at the top and bare the neat rows of nine chocolates inside.

He wrinkled his nose, but picked out the middle one and took a bite. After a contemplatory look, he hopped up onto the wall and patted the space across from him. She hesitantly jumped up to sit with her legs to the side while he straddled the wall. He popped the other half of the chocolate into his mouth before taking another from the box and offering it to her. "They're alright I guess." His tone had a stern quality to it, but there was a certain something that made her smile instead of taking it to heart. She wondered if anyone else had ever joined him on his wall.

"I'm glad you think so." Her voice was soft in comparison to his. He plucked another chocolate from the box and bit into it, nudging it toward her when she finished her first. She wondered if he could see her blush.

They sat silently on the wall, sharing chocolate and avoiding each other's gaze. Soon enough there was only one chocolate left. She hopped down off of the wall, willing to let him have it, but his hand shot out and she turned to see him biting half of it off before offering her the remaining half. She wondered how many other people had seen this side of him.

After accepting the chocolate, she smiled at him and popped it into her mouth. "My name is Mamori Anezaki." She wondered if he would call her Mamori.

"Yoichi Hiruma." He replied, hopping down from the wall and shoving his hands in his pockets. She wondered if she could call him Yoichi.

"You always sit on this wall… don't you—"

"Listen, Anezaki, it's getting late, isn't it?" She wondered if this was because she had been so forward.

"Oh… yeah." She looked at the sinking sun and gathered the empty parcel. "I should be getting home." She wondered why she was so disappointed.

"Hey… Mamori." She smiled as she turned and was surprised at how near he was. She wondered when he had moved closer.

A gasp left her mouth when he leaned forward to press his lips against her cheek. She knew that it was as close to a "thank you" as the gruff boy would give her.


End file.
